Ariana, a bit bemused by the obvious statement, held her tongue.

With a gentle smile, she said, “Everyone says he's got my eyes.”

She then noticed Melon's reddened eyes, a look of concern crossing her face. Tenderly touching his face, she asked, “Honey, why the tears? Were you upset?"

Trying to be brave, Melon replied, "I took a little tumble earlier.

But I'm okay. Mr. Chadwick helped."

Ariana gave Rodney a grateful nod, to which he just shrugged, then asked, "I know you're friends with Mitchell, but how come we've never met?"

Catching the underlying curiosity in Rodney's tone, Ariana kept her cool.

"I'm Ariana Edwards. Used to be in the Edwards circle. I got to know Dr. Chadwick just a few years back."

A light bulb went off in Rodney's head; he remembered the Edwards, who faced some tough times. He decided not to dive deeper into that topic.

Although curious about Rodney's sudden interest, Ariana chose to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Thanks for looking after Melon," she said gracefully.

"We should be on our way."

As Ariana and Melon made their exit, Rodney watched them leave, whispering to himself, "So much alike.. way too much."

After the big dinner, as Ariana and Mitchell were gearing up to leave, Rodney decided to give them a personal send-off.

“You're always welcome back. And bring the kid too," said Rodney, his face giving nothing away.

From her spot, Catalina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Rodney, being warm? That's new. Ever since his quiet retirement years began, he didn't really Like having company. The big feast tonight was only because she had twisted his arm into agreeing.

"Thank you," Melon said with a sweetness that made everyone's heart melt a little. Watching him, Catalina found herself sighing. Oh, how she wished the charming boy was Mitchel's. That would've made her day.

After saying their goodbyes, Mitchel left with Melon and Ariana to retire the day.

As soon as they arrived, Ariana settled her things down to massage her sore shoulders. She took a refreshing shower and took care of Melon's needs before finally resting in bed.

The next morning, she set out to arrange a visit in Holden's residence together with Shawn for Adele's therapy session.